Greetings, welcome to another one of your Majesty’s Prototypical Christian articles about the Bible. Most modern societies are aware that they do a lot of bad things, also known as sin. Some of them enjoy it, others are victims of it and the majority of them don’t know that they are doing it. It’s a sad reality especially if we want world peace. We can’t have peace if society is stuck in this mental and emotional condition of continually causing and enjoying a life of sin.
Sin generally is all about someone doing a bad thing and is usually punished for it. Our modern understanding of sin is derived from the bible or the Israelites who carried this idea through their culture and influenced the societies that surrounded them throughout human history. However, little do people know that there are 3 different types of sin recorded within the Bible. There is Iniquity, sin, and uncleanness.
Strongs Concordance Definition:
Iniquity: By Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (SEC) Definition H5771; perversity moral evil- fault, iniquity mischief punishment (of iniquity) sin.
Sin: SEC H2407 “an offense (sometimes habitual sinfulness) and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also an offender.- punishment (of sin), purifying.”
Uncleanness: H2931: Impurity, filthiness, unclean. H2931: foul in religious sense defiled, infamous, polluted, unclean.
Iniquity
Starting with iniquity, it is a term that is overlooked within the scripture but has been in use since the beginning of scripture. It is basically someone continually committing a sin knowingly and normalizing the act of sin. At this point, if sin is normalized it becomes a perversion (perversity) of evil itself. One example of normalized sin in early scripture is the most famous story about Sodom and Gomorrah. Scripture doesn’t say much about how evil these two cities were but we do know that they were guilty of sexual sin. The men of the cities were homosexuals because they were trying to have sex with the extraordinary male angels that visited Lot and his family, Genesis 19: 1-7. The angels came to warn Lot about how The Highest God was going to utterly destroy the city for its perversion of sin.
Genesis 19:15 “And when the morning arose the angels hastened Lot, saying Arise take thy wife and thy daughters, which are here lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”.
Psalms 7:14. “Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and have conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.”
Examples of Iniquity.
Iniquity is also seen as a vile (nasty, horrible, unpleasant) act of people simply because they seem to enjoy the sin that they do (Isaiah 32:6). They practice it, teach it, and condone it for selfish reasons. If we remember the sons of Eli with the exception of Solomon the prophet, they were condemned for their iniquity against the Highest God. We see this allot even today, people who are guilty of iniquity. Those of us who know that having multiple sex partners is bad yet the practice is continued, condoned and taught to the next generation.
Sometimes iniquity can go unnoticed for those of us who are taught that the evil or sin that we do is a good thing. Our next generation is being taught that homosexuality is a good thing. They will grow up truly believing that this sexual iniquity is good, especially for those who end up later knowing the truth that it is bad but still do it. This is working iniquity: doing a sin knowingly and loving it without shame. Matthew 7:22-23
Sin:
Sin is different from iniquity whereas it is done usually by accident, knowing or unknowingly. Un-repented sin eventually evolves into iniquity which is what we want to stay away from. In basic terms sin, according to the bible, is a transgression against someone and the law of the Bible. Not all sins are death penalty worthy. Lying is a sin and is corrected with redemption and forgiveness. However, if it’s never repented for, it becomes iniquity and damnation. Leviticus 4:27-29; 5:1.
These few scriptures suggest that sin is a transgression from one person to another also 1 Kings 8: 16. We ought to forgive our transgressors but we do this for our own good not for the good of the sinner. This concept is widely taught in the New Testament where the severe punishments of the law are outlawed and everyone is guilty, Israelite and gentile. We are all called to repent whether it is a sin or iniquity or uncleanness. Someone could be caused to sin as well. Someone could be caused to fabricate or commit adultery.
Uncleanness:
Unclean is an old testament term that describes the uncleanness of animals on a dietary spectrum for mankind. Leviticus 11 talks allot about dietary law. However the biblical meaning of uncleanness is extended to illness and common filth. A lot of these laws about uncleanness can be used today as basic health standards for many households. However they are presented in the bible in basic terms that may seem primitive to us.
For example Leviticus 11:36-39. “Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which touchest their caucus shall be unclean.
But if any water shall be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall therein. it shall be unclean to you.
And if any beast of which ye may eat, die. he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until thee even.”
Modern Uncleanness/ Sanitation:
This is just one example of Uncleanness in the Bible. The scripture we see here is all about bacterial sanitation which prevents diseases. On a primitive understanding they only know that they are not allowed to touch water from a dead animal. The ancient Israelites did not see bacteria, nor did they know about it. This law only stood as an universal “Sanitation law”. However we have scientific studies to back up why we should keep this type of law.
Not to mention that bodily infections, discharges, illnesses and the like are all considered to be unclean as in unhealthy. And when we are unhealthy in a biblical way since we are also unholy. Being in a state of un-holiness is dangerous when we are trying to get closer to the highest God. The Levites would die in the presence of The Highest God in the temple because of an unclean issue.
Conclusion
Uncleanness is a type of sin that’s we can’t always control and The Highest God is aware of that. He gave us instructions in the New Testament on becoming forever clean unto him. Christ also made it possible to be forgiven of all of our sins and iniquities. He gave us our savior Christ, who became a new ultimate sin offering. Who is creating in us a clean place for The Holy Spirit to reign forever. Even though we have grace in The Highest god’s eyes we are still at risk of acquiring iniquity. if we do not refrain from these three types of sins we won’t have grace. We are given a grace period to learn how to live a “sin free life”.
Leviticus 10:10 “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, between unclean and clean”
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